Frodo and the Mermaid
by Aria Breuer
Summary: As he wandered through Bywater, Frodo hardly expected to meet a mermaid. As their lives intertwine, Frodo and the mermaid's relationship is put to the test. Pre-War of the Ring. Featuring Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merry Brandybuck, and an original character.


**Disclaimers:** All material from _The Lord of the Rings_ trilogy belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, New Line Cinemas, Warner Brothers and Turbine. All original material belongs to me, the authoress.

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This is a fanfic I've been wanting to write for a long time. Let's see how it goes. :)

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A year had passed since Bilbo Baggins left the Shire. For Frodo Baggins, it didn't sink in that he was the Master of Bag End until five months before today. Now, he enjoyed life as a bachelor. In Bywater, he practiced fishing and swimming. He was quite good at both. As for this day, Frodo approached a bench close to Lake's shore. In his hand was a hardbound book on sailing.

"Merry would know how to sail." He grinned, speaking softly. "Well, at least this is a good book."

"Very fine book." A bell-like voice rang in Frodo's ear. The gentle hobbit stopped what he was reading. There was someone on the Lake. Setting his book down on the bench, Frodo approached the beach. The voice called to him again, "Come closer."

Frodo shook his head. "I don't think that's wise."

"Come closer…" the feminine voice beckoned.

Frodo placed a hand in the cool, clear water. But in that moment, he was pulled into the water. No. Not this again! He couldn't… swim… he couldn't… oh, yes he could. He struggled to swim to the surface, but the water felt so heavy, surrounding him and forcing his lungs to breathe in the water… until soft lips grasped his, drawing air back into his body. There she was. The woman who called him and kissed him. She had a tail, a silvery green tail. He was entranced by her, her beauty, her elegant pose. He didn't want to leave.

At last, she released him. He couldn't understand. He was breathing under the water. Under the Lake. How? How was this possible?

"Come," the fishy, feminine voice drew him along the lake bed. Frodo followed, swimming as best he could. Before the gentle-hobbit was a whole other world. Crustaceans and yellow fish glided across the sea bed. Silver fish swam in groups. Starfish paddled their way on the lake floor. Even large catfish could be seen swimming in different directions. "You have to go back now."

"What?" Frodo spoke, closing his mouth as the water started seeping into his mouth. He let the fish woman drag him back to shore. The moment he hit the surface, Frodo sputtered and cough violently. Grateful to be back on the shoreline, he lay there for several long moments…

Frodo awoke to the pale sunrise. He was dry, for the most part, but stunned. He remembered he was underwater. And the fish woman… where was she? He turned around in time to see the same woman with auburn-brown hair gazing back at him. She drew close to him until they were staring at each other.

"Who are you?" Frodo asked. He tried again. "What are you?"

"I'm a mermaid. My name is Nyeris," the mermaid said.

"Nyeris," Frodo said in awe. "I will remember…" He was cut off, right as Nyeris leaned in and kissed him on the lips a second time. Already, he felt at peace and in love with the sea. All thanks to this mermaid… he opened his eyes, only to find Nyeris had returned to the Lake, her greenish-purple tail sparkling as it hit the surface. Although he was glad to find his book in the same spot, his heart longed for the mermaid who saved his life.

-.-.-

In the days that followed, Frodo spent his time drawing in a sketchbook. The drawings were on the Lake bed, the coral, shells and the mermaid he met on that fateful day. Often, he wondered about her fate… but these sketches were rough and the best he could do. Not that didn't mind drawing… well, it was not one hobby he was used to working on.

His drawings, on the other hand, drove his cousins and his gardener with worry. Perhaps he was obsessed, but then mermaids were more than a myth in Middle-earth. He knew what he saw. Why wasn't anyone listening to him?

"Merry, Pippin," Frodo started, "if you were to draw a mermaid… well, what would she be like?"

"Close to what you're drawing, cousin," Merry spit out. "Why wouldn't we draw mermaids?" His arm rested on the post. "Besides, I bet Pippin would go nuts to have a mermaid by his side."

"I take that seriously, Merry," Pippin said.

Frodo chuckled aloud. He couldn't help it. But he dared ask them, "Have I gone mad?"

"Frodo, why don't you try seeking this mermaid out again? Why not?" Pippin asked.

"If she's still on the Lake," Frodo said.

"We'll see if she's real or not." Merry suggested upfront, "Hey, why don't we all have mermaids? I'd love to meet one."

"Now Mr. Frodo, you can't go on a whim," Sam said.

"I'm not Sam." Frodo sighed. "This mermaid saved my life. The least I can do is repay her, see her again. If it doesn't work, I'll move on." Only he didn't want to move on. Surely there was a way to meet her. Standing up, Frodo grabbed his cloak off the hook and left Bag End. He was welcomed by one last farewell from Merry.

"If you see the mermaid, you tell her Merry sent you, so he can have a mermaid all he liked," Merry shouted.

"Yes Merry," Frodo said, blushing in embarrassment and near laughter. Well, he would see how this whole arrangement turned out. And yet, the moment he reached the bench, close to Bywater's Lake, he didn't have to wait long, for the same auburn-brown haired mermaid appeared, gliding across the Lake towards him. Frodo was surprised, yet delighted, to see her again.

"You came back," Nyeris said.

"You sound surprised," Frodo said, sitting down on the grass.

"I nearly expected your friend Merry Brandybuck." She added, "You're not the first hobbit that I've saved, but you were the first to speak under the water."

"You saved someone else." No! There went his chance of courting this mermaid… no. Wait. Did he really think of courting this mermaid? "How many hobbits have you saved, Nyeris?"

"The mermaids of this lake save many folk, should they fall into these waters." She added, "But you. You're different. You sought me out twice."

"That doesn't change the fact that you've saved more hobbits' lives…" he stopped himself there. Of course it was fine for the merfolk to save lives. Then there was his fascination towards merpeople. Could it be possible for him to… no. And yet, his heart yearned to be close to a mermaid. Maybe he should stop this quest… but no, he couldn't do that. He was fascinated by this race of sea creatures.

"I'll see you later, Mr. Baggins," Nyeris said, returning to the Lake.

Frodo sighed in defeat. He guessed he would have to wait another day or so, before deciding to return to the water. And to meet mermaids again. A shame. He had his mind and his thoughts set on dating this mermaid… no. He was thinking too much of this. Oh, but he would have a few words to say to his cousin Merry, when he got back to Bag End.

-.-.-

Approximately four days passed in the Shire. And on a final straw, to get Merry to come out with the truth, Frodo led Merry, Pippin and Sam to the Lake in Bywater. It was time for the truth to come out.

"Mr. Merry, I would think you had greater sense than to do this –" Sam complained.

"Merry can do what he wants, Sam." Pippin added, "Frodo will teach him a lesson, you know."

"I know, Mr. Pippin," Sam said, concerned. "I just hope _he_ has learned his lesson."

"Frodo, I really think we should head back," Merry said.

"Why? Call her." Frodo said, pointing to the Lake.

"Call who?" Merry asked, confused.

"Me," Nyeris said, poking her head out of the water.

Frodo grabbed Merry before he could walk away. But Merry was clever. He knew exactly what was going on. "Now Frodo, surely you don't think I was saved by these mermaids."

"Merry, Nyeris said she saved your life and the lives of others," Frodo said.

"It's true," Nyeris said.

"You know the plan, Nyeris," Merry whispered, passing to the mermaid a white flower.

"What plan?" Frodo asked, confused.

"Now," Merry gestured to the mermaid. He told Frodo, "Watch this."

Frodo did, only to be surprised by all sorts of mermaids splashing out of the water in pairs. The show lasted for five minutes, which involved the mermaids splashing and performing tricks in the water. It all came to the conclusion when Nyeris passed to him a grey rock with the gentle-hobbit's name on the front and a message that said: _Happy Birthday_. Frodo was stunned.

"I don't know how to thank –" Frodo was at a loss for words.

"You're welcome," Nyeris said. She admitted, "It was your cousin's idea to come up with that story. But I admire you, Frodo Baggins."

"So you're with no one, right?" Frodo asked her.

"I am with you," Nyeris said. She giggled for a moment, before splashing out into the Lake, as if her meeting with Frodo had been a dream.

"Now what have you to say, cousin," Merry asked.

"I can't wait to meet another mermaid… on second thoughts, just Nyeris. If I can," Frodo said.

"I'm sure you'll find her again someday," Merry said.

"Yes," Frodo said, sighing again. "Yes, I hope so." He hoped this wasn't the last time he would meet her.

-.-.-

Frodo looked over the elvish ship's railing. He hadn't seen Nyeris since the beginning of his quest to Mordor. Even on the river Anduin, Frodo looked long and hard for the mermaid he met out on the village of Bywater's Lake. Much had changed since that time. He had changed too. So much had changed.

And yet, when he arrived on the white shores of Valinor, his gaze stayed on the water. By chance, he saw Nyeris, but something was different about her. Her physical form was fading away. No. No, she couldn't.

"Nyeris, what…" he was stunned to see her like this. Horrified, no doubt. He understood, but a tear was longing to drip down his cheek. "Is this where we meet, in the end? You're not…"

"I'm afraid it's time, Frodo Baggins. Eventually, we fade away into another world," Nyeris told him. "I'm glad we met again, even if it's for a short time."

"Then let us hope we meet again, someday," Frodo said.

"Yes, we will, Frodo Baggins. If not in this life, then in the next," she said, her body fully faded away into the air and sea. Frodo sighed. He wouldn't forget her. He wouldn't forget the mermaid who saved his life all those years ago. And he kept his word, even as he met Eru Ilúvatar years later. For in that time, Nyeris and Frodo were reunited at long last.

It was a happy moment for the two of them. Yes, it was a grand moment to behold for both hobbit and mermaid. Neither would forget each other, or be separated, again. And that was the way it was meant to be for the both of them, even as the world moved on in its separate time and space.

But for Frodo, this was the moment to be happy. He wouldn't let Nyeris go again, no matter what happened. The Sea had called them home.

 _The End._

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Thanks for reading. :)


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